Hearts of the Divine
by cakeengland
Summary: Living as a god in Kingdom Hearts seems like a perfectly peaceful, desirable life. If only that were the truth. AU, various pairings.
1. Sunset

_A/N: All stories from my Kingdom Hearts god AU will be placed in this fanfic. I'm going to try and keep a sense of continuity, with each chapter in the right order. However, if a chapter is out of order, rest assured I'll let you guys know._

 _Anyway, this particular chapter focuses on two main pairings; SoKai and SoRiku. (Yes, I'm putting them both into the same story.) If you want more info about the AU characters, look no further than my profile._

 _With that said, happy reading! If you enjoyed, please leave a review!_

* * *

 **Sunset  
**  
 _Sora summons Riku for help designing a special sunset. In the process, a small love-related problem is also solved._

* * *

"You summoned me, Your Majesty?"

Sora looked up from the paint-smeared canvas on his desk, spotting his personal bodyguard standing in the doorway.

"Riku!" he chirruped. "Come inside. There's something I need your help with."

Riku obliged, stepping into the room. He didn't say anything, but after ten years of routine, Sora expected that. "It's your birthday tomorrow, right?" He knew he was correct, so he continued speaking. "I wanted to design a special sunset that represents balance, since that's what you're the god of and everything."

"The Princess had her birthday last week and you didn't do this for her."

Sora grimaced. "The idea didn't occur to me. Anyway, I can't seem to decide on a design, so I thought I should ask you."

Riku silently took the brush from him. The sky god found himself enraptured by its movements as it danced across the canvas, leaving black, purple and dark blue swirls in its wake. There were small white stripes scattered throughout.

"It's kinda… dark," Sora commented after his friend had finished.

"It represents the light in darkness, a kind of balance that is often overlooked," Riku explained. "Darkness in light is the same idea, although I prefer it this way."

"Oh." Sora inspected the painting again. "I like it. Thanks, Riku!"

"Is there anything else you need, Your Majesty?" Riku questioned. The sky god thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Nope! But stay anyway."

Riku sighed, looking at the ground. "We can't keep doing this, Sora. I suppose it's safe to say that Kairi doesn't have a clue?"

"Well, no," Sora admitted guiltily.

"Then that's half the problem," the balance god replied. "If she knew and was okay with it… well, it wouldn't make it right, but it'd make it better." He reached out to tap the silver, sapphire-studded band on Sora's ring finger. "This exists for a reason."

"I know, but it's not by my choice," the young prince complained. "I love Kairi, yes, but you mean more to me than she does."

"Yes, but she's the one you're engaged to," Riku replied patiently.

Sora exhaled dramatically, leaning back in his chair. "Fine. I'll tell Kairi."

"Good. Let me know how it goes." Riku nodded approvingly, before summoning his Keyblade. "If you don't require anything else, Your Majesty, might I request permission to go train?"

"Of course," Sora nodded. "Dismissed, Riku."

* * *

"Kairi!" Sora called as he walked through the door.

"Sora?" Kairi looked up at him from the book she was reading. Upon seeing it was indeed him, she stood up and greeted him with a hug.

"Um. Hi, Kairi," he greeted awkwardly as he returned the embrace. "I have something to tell you." _Why did I let Riku talk me into this?_

"Oh?" She pulled back, examining his face. "What is it?"

"You know Riku?" Sora felt like slapping himself as soon as he said those words. Of course she knew Riku; they were friends!

"Yeah, what about him?" Kairi replied. "Did something happen?" Her expression turned to concern.

"I… well… you see…" _Just say it!_ "I'm in love with Riku," he blurted out.

"Why am I not surprised?" the light goddess remarked, a small laugh accompanying her words.

"I can explain- wait, what?" Sora was sure he'd heard her wrong.

"It's honestly quite obvious, to me at least," Kairi giggled. "I was just waiting for you to admit it."

He could've fainted from relief. Kairi didn't mind! "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I don't mind keeping up pretense, though."

"We'll have to," Kairi replied. "Oh, and Sora?"

"Yes?"

"I do love you."

"I know." Sora leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek. "I love you too."

* * *

"So the Princess is okay with it?" Riku questioned, his Keyblade slicing through several holographic projections of Heartless.

"Yep!" Sora confirmed, standing a respectful distance from the simulation. "Even better, she was expecting it!"

"Hm," the silveret acknowledged, jabbing his weapon towards one of his adversaries. "Well, that doesn't make it right…"

"You promised!" Cue the pout.

"Actually, I didn't. However, I guess there's no harm in continuing so long as Princess Kairi doesn't mind," Riku finished, dismissing Way to the Dawn as he completed his training.

"Yes! Thank you, Riku!" Sora practically _tackled_ the balance god, planting dozens of kisses all over his face.

"Alright, that's enough," Riku reprimanded, placing a hand on the over-eager brunet's chest and pushing him away. "Need I remind you anyone could walk in on us?"

Sora grinned. Before Riku could actually process what said grin actually _meant,_ their location had changed to the young prince's bedroom.

"I love being able to teleport," he sighed happily. "Now, where were we?"

Riku resisted the urge to sigh, conceding defeat. After all, it wasn't a _bad_ way to spend the next few hours…

* * *

"I think my lips are going to bruise," Sora gasped, out of breath.

"You can push it off on Kairi though," Riku pointed out. "I'm going to be wearing neck-high shirts for a while." He gingerly ran his fingertips across the indentions in his neck.

"Oh, shush," the younger god laughed. "It's not that big of a deal."

Riku opened his mouth to retort, but their attention was drawn by a knock on the door. "Sora?"

The owner of the name paled. _'It's Roxas,'_ he mouthed. The god of purpose was Sora's twin brother.

The silveret took his unspoken cue, vanishing from sight. "It's open!" Sora called.

The door swung open. "Sora, are you busy? Naminé is occupied, and I have nothing to do," Roxas questioned as he walked in.

The brunet's gaze flickered to the spot where Riku had stood, his tongue swiping out to trace his lips. Thankfully, his twin didn't notice his unease as he replied, "Kinda? If it were any other time, I'd be happy to hang out, but…"

"Oh." Roxas turned his gaze to the ground. "I'm sorry to bother you, then…"

"Hey, it's okay," Sora reassured, offering him a smile. "You had no way of knowing."

Roxas returned the smile half-heartedly. "Maybe Naminé is finished…" He disappeared.

Immediately, Riku reappeared. "That was close," he commented. "Perhaps you should take measures to ensure it doesn't happen again."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll lock the door from now on," Sora agreed dismissively. He yawned. "Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like taking a nap."

"You and your sleeping habits," Riku chuckled. "I'll go train, in that case."

"Nah." Sora shook his head. "You'll stay here."

"To act as your pillow?" No reply. "Very well, _Your Majesty."_

"Shut up," Sora grumbled.


	2. Mortal

_A/N: This particular chapter focuses on Tequa. And is also a prime example of why this 'fic is rated T._

* * *

 **Mortal**

 _Terra escorts Aqua on her first visit to the mortal world. They quickly discover advantages they are more than happy to exploit._

* * *

"Are you all right, m'lady? The sensation does take some getting used to."

Aqua offered Terra a smile. "I'm fine," she assured. "Just a little surprised it actually worked."

The land god dipped his head. "It is rather unusual for the ability to take a mortal form to manifest this late. However, being that you are a Keybearer, it isn't all that surprising."

"Yes, indeed…" As he mentioned it, Aqua summoned her Keyblade, looking it over. Terra was right. King Mickey, Prince Sora, Prince Roxas, Princess Kairi, Riku and Terra were all Keybearers- each one of them had been able to take a mortal form since they were very young. She was unique, only having just gained the ability.

"You know, there's no gods around to see us," Aqua noted. "You can drop the act, Terra."

"Very well… _Aqua,"_ Terra agreed, giving her a smile.

"So, where are we?" the water goddess questioned. Having never left Kingdom Hearts before, she was totally unfamiliar with her location.

"Radiant Garden," Terra answered almost immediately.

"Really? That's amazing," Aqua said in surprise. She'd read about the world in her books- apparently, mortals considered it the capital of light. She'd always wanted to see it, and now her wish was coming true!

"It is, isn't it?" Terra agreed. "I can show you around."

Aqua immediately accepted his offer. Smiling, the brunet offered her his hand. She took it, entwining their fingers. That was another benefit of their mortal forms. No one knew of her status, so their relationship would be seen as perfectly normal.

Radiant Garden was everything Aqua had dreamed, and then some. By the time the sun had set, Aqua almost knew the world better than Terra did.

"The mortal world is really interesting," the bluenette commented, licking her sea salt ice cream.

"The novelty wears off after a while," her boyfriend shrugged, savoring his own treat, which was just plain chocolate.

"Spoilsport," Aqua teased good-naturedly. "Look at you, you've got ice cream everywhere." She leaned forward to lick the residue chocolate from Terra's face.

He chuckled, leaning forwards to place a kiss on her lips. "Only for you."

She laughed, turning her gaze to the sky. "Prince Sora really outdid himself today," she commented, taking notice of the red and pink hues cast by the setting sun.

"It's beautiful," Terra agreed. "I wouldn't have had it any other way, though. The perfect sunset to celebrate your first trip to the mortal world."

"I'll have to thank him when we return to Kingdom Hearts tomorrow," the water goddess smiled.

"What, we're staying overnight now?" It was the brunet's turn to be a tease.

"Of course." She played along with his tease, a smile on her face. "I wouldn't want to pass up this chance to see the mortal world at night."

"Well, if you want, I know a spot under the stars," Terra offered, lifting Aqua's hand to his lips and placing a kiss on the back. "It's near a river too. I think you'd like it."

"It sounds beautiful," the goddess replied. "I'd love to see it."

The spot was exactly as Terra had described it. Lying back, Aqua closed her eyes, letting the rush of water calm her. "How's your brother?" she asked after a moment.

"Ven? He's doing well, for the most part," Terra answered. "I wish the kid had some more friends, though. I'm rarely home, as you know."

"Well, it's okay if he enjoys the time he does get to spend with you," Aqua replied thoughtfully. "That should be what matters."

"Yes, but still," the land god replied. "I would've liked it if he had some more readily available friends."

"Fair enough." She gently pulled Terra down beside her. "The stars are so pretty… the moon god is certainly keeping with Prince Sora's standards tonight."

"Isa."

"Hm?"

"Isa. That's the name of the moon god," the brunet explained.

"How do you know that?" Aqua queried.

"He's my trainee's best friend," Terra shrugged. "Lea, the fire god. You know him."

"Ah, yes." That made sense. "How is Lea's training coming along?"

"He reminds me of Riku, to be honest," he admitted. "Except a hundred times more enthusiastic."

"Well, I'm sure that's a good sign," Aqua laughed. "After all, look at where Riku is now!"

"Prince Sora's personal bodyguard," Terra nodded. "It _is_ a rather impressive feat."

"Still, I'd pick you over Riku any day," Aqua smiled. "After all, I doubt he's as good of a kisser as you are." She leaned forwards to kiss her boyfriend in an attempt to further empathize her point.

"The world may never know," Terra joked after they pulled away. "After all, he only ever speaks to Prince Sora and Princess Kairi, and those two are engaged." He captured his girlfriend's lips in another kiss, nipping her lip slightly as they did so.

"Oh, so you wanna play like that?" Aqua murmured against his lips. "Fine by me."

* * *

When the pair were finished, they were both fully clothed, for the most part. Aqua had been reduced to her black leotard, although that hardly mattered. Either way, both of them had a new collection of marks and bruises, all of which would be highly awkward to explain.

"We'll figure that out when the time comes," Terra assured when she brought it up.

"You're sure?" Aqua queried. "Given the circumstances…"

"We'll come up with something," the land god repeated.

"Well, okay." The bluenette still wasn't sure, but she wasn't in the mood to argue. "If you say so." She rested her head on the brunet's shoulder. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too." Terra returned the sentiment, wrapping an arm around Aqua's shoulders. The pair of them stared out at the starry sky for a little while before Aqua spoke up.

"Perhaps we should head back. I'm getting a little sleepy." Right on cue, her mouth opened in a large yawn. Terra laughed.

"Yeah, perhaps we should," he agreed, getting to his feet and offering the water goddess his hand. She took it, letting him help her to her feet. Their surroundings faded out for a moment, before focusing again as they appeared in the palace courtyard of Kingdom Hearts. Smiling, Terra leaned in, placed a quick peck on Aqua's cheek.

"Goodnight, Lady Aqua."


	3. Purpose

_A/N: Welp, here you go. Before someone asks, no, Roxas/Axel isn't going to be a thing in this fanfic. I'm really sorry to anyone who likes that ship- I have nothing against it- it's just that the age difference here makes me feel a little uncertain. If anyone wants to know, he's eventually going to hook up with Xion. Spoiler alert, oops._

* * *

 **Purpose**

 _Roxas finds his existence strangely meaningless sometimes. Maybe the fire god, Lea, can solve that problem._

* * *

Roxas, the god of purpose, found his existence strangely meaningless.

Naminé, the goddess of memories, was the only one who seemed to understand that. Her presence was like a comfort to him. Sometimes he would just sit in her study for hours. She didn't mind, usually engrossed in her small crayon drawings. Roxas liked looking at these from time to time. They were very skillfully done, and reminded him of his older brother Sora's paintings.

Of course, there were times where Naminé had to work. During these times, Roxas wasn't allowed to visit. Today was one of those days. Given that his brother was occupied by something, he was on his own.

Roxas decided to visit the town. True, he wasn't _meant_ to, but at the moment, he couldn't care less.

The town was a hive of activity when he arrived. The lesser gods bowed as he passed, quickly shuffling aside to form a path for him. He wished that they wouldn't; he honestly hated the attention, unlike his brother.

"Hey, isn't that Prince Roxas?" a loud voice to his left called. He heard a hiss of alarm from the direction of the source, and smiled. His day was about to get interesting.

The source, he discovered, was a young man with flaming red hair that defied the laws of gravity, even more so than Sora's did. He felt like he'd seen him somewhere before.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked impulsively. The man grinned.

"You've probably seen me training with Terra," he replied. "I'm his personal apprentice. I'm Lea, the fire god. Got it memorized?"

"Oh, right." That made sense. He looked to Lea's friend, a blue-haired man with green eyes. "Who are you?"

"Isa, Your Majesty." Roxas flinched at the usage of his title.

"Just call me Roxas," he insisted. Momentary surprise flashed across Isa's eyes, but then he nodded stiffly.

"So, what brings you to the town?" Lea questioned. "Nothing to do at the palace?"

"Pretty much," the purpose god confirmed, leaning against the wall.

"Well, you're welcome to hang out with us. Right, Isa?" He looked to his friend, who shrugged.

"If he wants to."

"I think I'd like that," Roxas agreed. "So, what do you guys do around here?"

"We were about to head to the caves," Lea smirked. "I was gonna show Isa a new move Terra taught me. There's plenty of Heartless to demonstrate on there, after all."

"Sounds like fun," Roxas replied. "Count me in." He made his way towards the caves, vaguely aware of Isa saying something to Lea. Whatever it was, he didn't care.

There were plenty of Heartless hanging out around the entrance to the caves, as the fire god had predicted. He summoned Oblivion and Oathkeeper, glancing at Lea. Like all the other Keybearers he knew, he only had one Keyblade. Roxas had always been special in that regard.

"Nice Keyblades," Lea grinned, winking at him. Roxas found himself smiling, something he hadn't done in a while. Even then, it was usually only in Naminé or Sora's presence.

"Thanks," he replied. "Now, are you going to show us this trick of yours or not?"

Lea grinned. "Thought you were never gonna ask!" He pointed his Keyblade at an unsuspecting Heartless milling inside the mouth of the cave. "Fire!" he commanded. A Firaga spell flew towards his target, killing it on impact.

"That is pretty cool," Roxas admitted, impressed. He could only cast Fira, although he knew Sora could perform the top-level spell.

"I agree with Roxas," Isa nodded, looking uneasy. Roxas knew why. He wasn't comfortable hanging around the prince, and addressing him by his name wasn't helping.

"So, Isa, what are you the god of?" he asked, hoping to take the bluenet's mind off it.

"The moon," he replied. The blond was mildly surprised.

"The moon?" he repeated. "You mean you work with my brother?"

"I do work with Prince Sora on occasion, yes," Isa confirmed.

"This discussion is really interesting and all," Lea interrupted, "but do you guys realize we came here to kill Heartless?"

Roxas smirked, leaping over the cluster of rocks they were hiding behind into the swarms of black creatures. They panicked for a few moments, scattering before regrouping, their attention on Roxas.

Lea seized his opportunity, jumping into the fray and killing several Heartless as he did so. Roxas punished them for turning their backs to assess the new threat as Oathkeeper and Oblivion claimed the lives of several.

The pair quickly fell into a steady rhythm, keeping constant pressure on their opponents. Their movements were instinctual, not a single enemy breaking their defenses.

That was the reason Roxas was shocked to feel claws scraping his skin, and he hissed in discomfort and pain. One quick slash from Oblivion dispatched the offending Heartless, and he stared at the sticky, crimson droplets bubbling to the surface of his skin.

"Roxas, you're bleeding," Lea commented, making his way over. The blond scowled at him.

"No, really?" he hissed, dismissing Oblivion and Oathkeeper, as there were no more Heartless in the vicinity. "I couldn't tell."

The fire god looked apologetic. "I…"

"It's fine," Roxas sighed, clamping a hand down on the scratches. "I'll just go see Kairi. Her Cure magic will easily fix this."

"Well, okay," Lea agreed, "but remember that Isa and I will always be happy to hang out. Got it memorized?"

The young prince laughed, any traces of earlier tension vanishing. "You bet I do. See you around!" With that, he invoked the magic that would send him back to the palace.

Kairi seemed surprised when he materialized in her room. As a way of explanation, he gestured to the gashes on his arm, saying a single word. "Heartless."

Kairi nodded in understanding, summoning her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace. "Are you going to tell Sora?" she queried after casting Cura.

Roxas shook his head. "No. There's no point in making him worry about nothing. Besides, apparently he's busy. With what, I don't know." He was confused as he watched Kairi stifle a giggle. "What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied, much too quickly for him to believe her, but everyone in the palace knew better than to argue with Kairi. She may appear sweet and innocent, but she was a warrior at heart. "So, why were you around Heartless in the first place?"

Roxas hesitated, before deciding he could trust the light goddess. "I was with Lea and Isa. Lea is Terra's apprentice, Isa is his best friend."

"How does this relate to you being around Heartless?" Kairi questioned, tilting her head.

"I'm getting there. Anyway, Lea had learned the Firaga spell, and he wanted to show it off. So we went to the caves."

"Not inside the caves, I hope?" she asked suspiciously.

"Of course not!" Roxas scoffed. "We're not stupid. We know the dangers of that place."

"Good." Kairi nodded her approval. "You may continue."

So the god of purpose proceeded to tell her all about his adventures with Lea and Isa, with the redhead nodding the whole time, showing she understood. At last, Roxas finished his story, leaning back and looking at Kairi for her opinion.

"I think you should hang out with those two some more," she decided, "they'll be good for you. You're more proper than Riku sometimes!"

Roxas choked.


	4. Trane

_A/N: This chapter is a flashback chapter, taking place when Sora and Kairi are seven and Riku is eight. It is also unplanned, meaning the next chapter will also focus on the trio._

* * *

 **Trane (Tears)**

 _Eleven years ago, a great tragedy befell Kingdom Hearts. But none were more affected by it than young Prince Sora..._

* * *

"Sora, Kairi, hurry up!"

Sora looked up at his best friend as he took hold of another rock, trying to glare but failing. "We're trying, Riku!" he called, pulling himself up. "We can't all climb almost vertical rock faces as fast as you. Besides, why do we have to go up here to see the sunset? I know what it looks like, I designed it."

The smirk on Riku's face was smug as he reached down to pull the young sky god the rest of the way. "Because it looks prettier up here," he explained, turning to do the same with Kairi. The redhead had a small sheen of sweat forming on her brow, as she was not as fit as the boys. She nodded her gratitude to the silveret, collapsing onto the ground.

"That's not a good enough reason-" Sora began to protest, but Riku placed a finger against his lips, effectively silencing him.

"Ssh," he hushed, before seating himself on the ground. Sora stuck his lower lip out in what was meant to be an irresistible pout, before reluctantly giving in and plopping himself down beside his friend. He'd forgotten Riku always won.

"So, what surprise do we get to see today?" Kairi questioned with a smile as she slid along the ground to be next to them. The brunet returned the smile.

"Wait and see!" he replied, raising a hand to the sky. He closed his eyes, summoning an image of the perfect sunset into mind. Slowly, as he concentrated, shades of pink and purple began to creep across the sky like a flower in bloom. He heard Kairi's gasp of awe and delight, and opened his eyes to his two best friends gazing at his masterpiece. He was certain he saw jealousy in Riku's cerulean eyes- it wasn't like the balance god could create wonders that were admired by the entire kingdom.

"It's beautiful, Sora," Kairi whispered, a hand reaching out as though she could touch his artwork.

"Thanks," he acknowledged, flashing a smirk towards Riku. The challenge wasn't lost on the older boy, and a lazy grin curled across his lips. Sora barely had a second to register the mischievous smile before he was pinned on his stomach, his arms held behind him. He struggled fiercely for a few moments, before resigning himself to his fate. For the second time in less than an hour, he'd forgotten Riku always won.

The fingers probing his ribs were agonizing, even under his multiple layers of clothing. Then again, this was Riku, his best friend- and apparently, it was a law of the universe that best friends must know where you are most ticklish. Desperately, he tried to hold in his laughter, but failed, squirming as Riku continued his incessant torture. Through tears and gasps, Sora begged for him to stop, but to no avail. He could tell his friend was gloating without even looking.

"Riku! There you are!"

The tickling stopped immediately. Sora looked up to thank his savior, but it died on his tongue as he found himself looking up at Terra, Riku's mentor.

"I finished my daily practice," Riku muttered, pushing his shoulders back and glaring up at his teacher. Terra met his pupil's gaze evenly.

"I'm aware of that," he replied tersely. "It's not what I'm here for." His gaze turned to Sora. "Your Majesty, it would best if you return to the palace. It is about your father."

Sora felt a stab of fear. His father, the king, had recently been heavily wounded in a fight with one of the banished gods, Xeha-something. Riku had explained to him that sometimes, when a person had enough injuries, they would fall asleep and never wake up. Sora didn't want that to happen to his father.

His fear grew when his friend's defiant posture fell away, and he stood, gesturing to Sora and Kairi to do the same. "We should go," he murmured.

Sora silently obeyed.

* * *

Sora quickly made his way to his father's bedside, scanning him. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't breathing. That scared him. Riku told him that was a sign of someone who would never wake up.

"Dad?" he whispered, a hand reaching out. He looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Riku stood there, shaking his head.

"Sora, he's… gone. I'm sorry."

"NO!" Sora screamed, wrenching his shoulder away. "No! He's going to wake up! He… he…" One leg gave out as the reality of the moment hit him, the other following a moment later. Riku's strong arms quickly circled his torso, keeping him standing. "He's… going to be fine…" Thick tears rolled down his face as he began to weep, his body quivering.

"It's okay, Sora," Riku whispered, rubbing his back in a comforting manner. Sora wondered how he could say that, because things were _not_ okay. His father was going to sleep forever. He had left Sora! He tried to voice as much, but all that came out was a few more choked sobs.

"Come on, Sora. Let's go to your room. You need to sit down." Sora nodded, continuing to spill his heart out through his eyes. He allowed his friend to half-drag, half-carry him to the familiar room, lying him down on his bed.

"Why?" he whispered, finally managing to silence his tears for long enough to form coherent words.

"I don't know, Sora," Riku managed, fingers combing his brown spikes. It was a soothing gesture, one that eased his pain, even if it didn't erase it entirely. "I don't know."

The silence enveloped them like a cloud of fog, only broken by the quiet sounds of Sora's sobs. It stayed like that for a little under an hour.

The silence only became absolute after Sora finally fell asleep.


	5. Valentines

_A/N: I apologize this came out so late. First I procrastinated on it, then the site didn't want to let me copy and paste it into my doc manager._

* * *

 **Valentines**

 _In order to celebrate one year of himself and Sora dating, Riku takes Sora to a special world themed after Valentines Day._

* * *

"Hey, Riku, tomorrow marks one year of you and Sora dating, right?"

Riku glanced up at Kairi as she entered his room. "I believe so," he responded, not bothering to address her by her title as he could already tell this would be an informal meeting. "Why?"

"Ever heard of Valentines Town?" she asked. "It's part of the set of holiday-themed worlds."

"I think I read about it once," Riku replied- the name seemed vaguely familiar. "I've never been there, though."

"I know _that,"_ the light goddess laughed. "I'm pretty sure I could name all the worlds you've been to. You really need to get out more often. Anyway, Queen Minnie was telling me about it. I think you should take Sora there. I think he'd love it."

"And what about me?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow, although he could already predict her answer.

"You'd enjoy it just because Sora was," she replied, exactly how he'd expected. "Seriously, you should take Sora there. Just bring back bucketfuls of chocolate water for me."

"You do realize too much chocolate will rot out your teeth, right?"

"I don't care. Now, go give your boyfriend some love. He's lonely."

"Kairi, I'm trying to-"

" _Go."_ Oh, dying stars. She was using The Tone.

"Yes, Kairi."

* * *

Riku woke up the next morning with a yawn, orienting himself quickly. Sunlight filtered through the window onto his face. Okay, this was Sora's room. The sky god was the only person he knew who slept under a window. There was a reason he did it, that being that his powers needed line of sight. Sora had positioned his bed so that he could do his job while also being lazy.

It wasn't uncommon for the two of them to share a bed, in an entirely innocent manner. Hence the reason there was a lump in the blankets beside him, with brunet spikes peeking out the top.

"Sora, you awake?" he asked. Sora was generally unreliable in the morning. Sometimes he went back to sleep after raising the sun.

"No," came the muffled reply. Riku chuckled. Typical Sora.

"Do you remember what today is?" It wouldn't be the first time he'd forgotten an important date.

"Saturday?" the sky god tried.

"Yes, but what else?" Riku replied patiently.

"No idea," Sora mumbled. "Tell me."

"It's been one year since we started dating, you dork," Riku laughed.

"Seriously?" Sora questioned, sleepily snuggling closer to the other. "It feels like it's been so much longer."

"I can agree with that," the silveret conceded. "Still, I wanted to take you somewhere to celebrate. You up for it?"

"Where would we go?" Sora asked. Riku shook his head, denying him an answer.

"It's a secret, but I promise you'll like it." The balance god knew that the brunet loved surprises.

"Fine, but… five more minutes?" Sora also loved sleeping.

"Trust me, Sora. This is better than sleep." _Or so says Kairi._ Riku hoped she had been right.

Sora's reply was predictable- "What could be better than sleep?" Still, the lump in the blankets shifted, the brunet's head and shoulders becoming visible as he sat up and yawned hugely.

Riku chuckled- the combination of that and Sora's bedhead in the morning made him look like a lion.

"What's with the laugh?" Sora groused, giving him a look.

"Nothing," Riku said immediately, biting back a playfully snarky reply; he knew Sora hated it when Riku started a snark battle and Sora couldn't finish it.

Either way, the silveret was content that he was sufficiently motivated. Riku got out of the bed, walking to the door. "I'm going to change clothes." He'd slept in his day outfit, meaning it was all wrinkled. "Be ready when I get back."

Much to his surprise, when Riku returned, Sora actually _was_ ready. Given that the prince normally took _forever_ in the mornings, 'be ready when I get back' was mostly a habitual phrase.

"Someone's excited for their surprise," he teased, smiling as Sora opened his mouth to defend himself. "It's okay- this is worth it. Close your eyes." He reached for the brunet's hand as he obeyed, entwining their fingers.

Every world had a magical essence that a Keybearer could lock onto. However, they all twisted together to form the universe. As such, you needed to have a somewhat detailed description of your desired world in mind.

It took him a few tries, but Riku managed to find Valentines Town's signature. He reached out for it, bracing himself for the usual sensation of being momentarily torn from reality.

His surroundings blurred before solidifying into an unfamiliar location. It seemed like some sort of town square, the ground blanketed by pink petals, probably fallen from the cherry blossoms that grew out as far as he could see. There was a fountain spouting liquefied chocolate, and little flowers with candy hearts growing on them. Most of the residents had red or pink hair, and there were many kinds of couples walking down the street holding hands. It was before dawn, casting the world in darkness, but strings of red lanterns lined the streets, illuminating the area. _Kairi's right. Sora will love this place._ "You can open your eyes, Sora."

A second later, Riku heard a gasp of awe from the shorter brunet. "Whoa, this place looks amazing, Riku!" he exclaimed in excitement.

"I told you you'd like it," the silveret told him with a smile. "Anyway, you lead. I'm fine with going wherever you want to go."

"But Riku! There's so much we could do," the prince despaired. "How am I meant to choose what to do first?"

Riku chuckled, the answer being a motto he had been taught since he was a child. "Let your heart decide."

Sora contemplated this for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, I think I know what I want to do," he announced. "Follow me!" He released Riku's hand, darting off. The silveret shook his head in fond exasperation, before making his way after the young sky god.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Sora had led Riku into a candy shop- it was no secret that the brunet had a massive sweet tooth.

"This place is the best I've been to," Sora declared, eyes wide with awe at the wide variety of treats. "Can we just buy everything?"

"Why should I spend that much munny on you?" the balance god teased. It was a joke, and they both knew it. So long as it wouldn't make him broke, Riku would buy the brunet whatever he wanted.

"Because you love me," the sky god implored, lowering his voice to a whisper out of habit.

"I also love my munny," Riku retorted, causing Sora to laugh. "Seriously, though; I'm willing to buy you some candy, but too much will make you sick."

Sora's eyes gleamed. "Okay," he agreed, looking back at the displays of candy. "...Are you going to get some for yourself?"

"Sora, you know I'm not really a person who likes sweet things," the silveret reminded. It was true; the only sweet thing he really liked was dark chocolate due to the contrasting bitterness. Funnily enough, it was also one of the few sweets Sora _didn't_ like.

"Just one of the many mysteries of Riku," the prince sighed. "How can you _not_ like candy?" Before Riku could respond, Sora disappeared into the store's depths.

A smile formed on the older teen's face. _Sora… I love you so much. Don't ever change._

* * *

"This is the best candy I've ever had!" Sora declared, the statement muffled by the slightly liquefied chunks of chocolate in his mouth. Riku chuckled, sitting next to Sora on the edge of the chocolate fountain.

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full, Sora," he scolded lightly. The sky god swallowed before pouting, residual grains of sugar coating his lips.

So Riku leaned in and kissed him. Sora was caught off guard, though he instinctively moved to return the kiss a second later. When he did, his hands moved to the back of Riku's head, tangling in his hair.

They broke apart for air, breathless. Riku could taste the candy that Sora had been eating on his lips.

Sora whined as Riku pulled away. "Later," he promised. "Don't you want to explore more?"

The brunet thought for a moment, before nodding. "You're right. There's still places I wanna go."

"Where to?" Riku asked, also standing up.

"Um…" Sora looked around. "I dunno. Can we just walk around?"

"Sure. Lead the way," the silveret agreed. The sky god began to walk off in a random direction. Riku quickly caught up, reaching for the brunet's hand and entwining their fingers. He was rewarded with a radiant smile.

* * *

Sora knelt by the rose-scented river, utterly enraptured. Riku just stood on the bank, chuckling at the younger god's antics. _Kairi was right. He_ does _love this world._ He glanced at the sky. The sun was at its middlemost point. _Midday. Still, I remember this world is about seven hours behind Kingdom Hearts… so, we should be heading back._ "Hey, Sora," he called. The brunet looked up. "We should head back." True, it wasn't like they had a curfew (King Mickey trusted him to keep Sora safe) but it was still a good idea to head back before night fell.

"Do we have to?" he complained.

"Yes, Sora," Riku insisted. "It's going to be night soon and, if nothing else, you need sleep." As did Riku. Unlike most gods, the pair really were the age they looked. As such, they still needed the amount of sleep a mortal boy of their age would require. "Besides, if I recall correctly, I promised you kisses when we went back home?"

That did the trick. If there was one thing Riku had learned whilst dating Sora, it was that the brunet could be easily tempted with kisses. "Alright, fine. Let's go."

"Your affronted tone isn't fooling me, Sora," he teased, smirking. At this, the younger teen resorted to his killer pout and puppy dog eyes combo. Individually, Riku might have been able to resist their power due to constant exposure. However, their combined force was more than enough to make him give in. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You know I'm right though." Seriously, those kinds of looks should be outlawed, but since Sora was going to be the future king, that was highly unlikely.

"If I agree with you, will I get the kisses quicker?" Sora asked, pulling a laugh from the balance god. The brunet's persistence was one of the many things he loved about Sora. Sure, it occasionally led to arguments, but those would have happened anyway. Besides, even if Riku didn't like that aspect of Sora, he wouldn't have wanted it to change. After all, there was a reason there was a saying about loving people for who they were.

"Sure, Sora. If that's what you want."

"In that case, you were right, and I'm sorry for doubting the great and mighty Riku," Sora teased, a challenge sparkling in his eyes. It reminded the silveret of when they were children. Certain things had been lost with age, and while the twinkle in Sora's eyes wasn't one of them, Riku felt like they no longer had that perfect shimmer. It wasn't entirely unexpected, and that gleam had vanished the same day Sora's father had died. Yet Riku was selfish enough to wish for that tiny detail his younger self had adored. It was insignificant, though. His little angel was still the most precious person to him in all the worlds, no matter what. In fact, he should be grateful Sora's eyes still shone at all. The loss of a beloved parent was most likely a very emotionally scarring event for the prince, especially considering his age at the time.

Riku hated that he would never truly understand that feeling of grief, as he didn't even know who his parents were. His earliest memories were of his training with Terra, and his mother and father didn't enter the picture even once. He knew he'd asked questions, as any inquisitive child would, but they'd failed to yield any useful information.

He shook himself from his nostalgia. This was the time nor the place. Besides, right now he had Sora, who was far more important to him than parents he never even knew. "I'm neither of those, Sora, but thank you anyway." In any case, Riku was determined to always cherish what he had. He'd come close to losing Sora once, and it was an event he would never let happen again so long as he breathed.

"You are to me." Such simple words, yet they still made his heart sing, stealing his breath away.


End file.
